Mayoral candidates in Laval, Longueuil announce partnership to cut infrastructure costs

The mayoral candidates in Laval and Longueuil have announced a partnership to lower the cost of new infrastructure in their respective cities.

Mayoral candidates in Laval and Longueuil announced a partnership Sunday morning, aimed at lowering the cost of new infrastructure in their respective cities.

Catherine Fournier is seeking re-election in Longueuil, while Stephane Boyer is seeking re-election in Laval.

“We are seeing all the inflation that we live through in the recent years, and we want to find ideas and innovations to bring those costs down,” said Boyer at a joint news conference in Longueuil.

Each candidate cited several sites in Laval and Longueuil that were first built in the 1960s that need to be updated.

One facility — a public pool in Longueuil — would cost nearly $16 million to renovate, according to Fournier.

But if each city came together, operating costs could be shared, like architectural plans. Fournier and Boyer said it would save money.

“It won’t be possible every time. But when it is, because we share the same needs and our citizens share the same needs, then we will do it,” explained Fournier.

“Why should Catherine do a plan for her pool if we also have a pool to do in Laval? Why not just have one one contract with one architecture firm,” added Boyer.

Fournier and Boyer have teamed up before.

In 2021, when they were both elected for the first time, they held a joint summit with provincial leaders to discuss the housing crisis.

Sunday’s announcement comes just a few weeks before election day, and the commitment hinges both Fournier and Boyer being re-elected on Nov. 2.